London News HeadlinesCirca 1982LWT employed around 90 journalists for its current affairs output, such as Weekend World and The London Programme, but claimed that a lack of resources prevented it from providing a local news service similar to that offered by Thames News. From 01/01/1982 the station became contractually responsible for providing a nightly regional bulletin, when its broadcasting hours shifted from 7pm to the earlier time of 5.15pm. So LWT began to broadcast short London News Headlines bulletins across the weekend, usually in mid-afternoon and late evening slots. It fell to the duty continuity announcers to read out copy sourced from local radio stations and wire agencies, without reports on tape. It was hardly the most stimulating source of local news! Still, as the 1980s wore on and LWT phased out in-vision continuity, it was always lovely to see the LWT announcers pop up in vision to read the news. This example is very brief and features Peter Lewis in January 1982.

London News HeadlinesMay 1982Here's an odd one! Peter Lewis, resplendent in tinted spectacles and looking not unlike some sort of criminal mastermind, appears in front of an unbranded backdrop.

London News Headlines1982/1984Two excerpts featuring Sue Peacock and Ruth Anders. The latter is from the mid-80s, by which time 'London' has been dropped from the name of the bulletin.

Lead Story (left): Areas of north-east London hit by power blackouts, following the sacking of a L.E.B. engineer for allegedly fiddling his meter. Meanwhile, Ruth's story concerns SOGAT union General Secretary Brenda Dean joining an official picket.

LWT News Headlines13/09+25/10/1986The LWT presentation studio was updated in 1986. These two clips with Ruth Anders were found on recordings of Psycho II and Vertigo.

Left: Disruption to London Underground services, with half the Circle Line out of action, and also the Wimbledon branch of the District. (13/09/1986)

Right: A five year-old police dog called Major was run over while trying to catch a thief near Paddington Green police station. (25/10/1986)

LWT News Headlines24 + 31/01/1987, 10.45pmThese complete bulletins from Saturday nights in January 1987, featuring Peter Lewis and Sue Peacock, were found on recordings of The Omen and Damien - Omen II.

Lead Story (left): News International's Wapping print works under siege by thousands of demonstrators. Lead Story (right): 44 year-old due in court, charged with possessing cocaine.

LWT News HeadlinesAutumn 1987Peter Lewis reads the news headlines in late 1987. Among the stories is the charging of 21 year-old Andrew Cassidy for the murder of drag queen John Byrne in Randells Road, Kings Cross in North London. He would appear before Clerkenwell Magistrates on the day after this bulletin - and was sentenced in April 1988.

Lead story: Protestors vow to carry on their campaign against a Westminster Council decision to sell off 10,000 homes.

LWT News - 1988-1992

LWT NewsAugust 1988Because LWT's minimal approach to regional news was lambasted by the IBA, the company made plans in 1987 to set up a full weekend service - at least eight bulletins of news, sport and weather. The production was outsourced to news agency Screen News and the first bulletin was shown on Friday 8th January 1988.

Linda Dryburgh appears in these clips, a trail and a bulletin from August that year.

LWT NewsAugust 1988Two more bulletins from August 1988, hosted by Linda Dryburgh.

Lead story, left: Tottenham Hotspur match against Coventry called off.

Lead story, right: A 42 year-old man is murdered in north London.

LWT News23/03/1990Anna Maria Ashe hosts an edition from 1990. It was in January that year that Chrysalis Television took over producing the LWT News bulletins from Screen News.

Lead story: Siege ends peacefully in London's West End, after Kurds forced their way into the offices of Turkish Airlines.

LWT News WeekendSummer 1992The regular LWT news bulletins were eventually accompanied by a news review programme on Sundays, entitled LWT News Weekend. In this example, the last of the series from 1992, the hosts are Anna Maria Ashe and Ed Boyle.

The final LWT News bulletin was transmitted on the evening of Sunday 3rd January 1993. Future weekend bulletins would be provided by London News Network - the joint venture between LWT and the new weekday franchise-holder Carlton Television.

Six O'Clock Live - 1989-1992

Six O'Clock Live1989-1992The opening titles of Six O'Clock Live, which launched on 1st September 1989. The hour-long news magazine was presented by Frank Bough and combined a variety of quirky items with LWT News bulletins. Bough was joined by reporters such as Danny Baker, Jeni Barnett, Joanna Sheldon and Nick Owen.

Six O'Clock Live1989 TrailFrank Bough, Jeni Barnett and Danny Baker have fun with this trailer, as they promote an edition which will air live from Paris - possibly something to do with the French Bicentennial celebrations of 1989, if they were still being celebrated as late as September!

Six O'Clock Live1990Another opener with Frank Bough, circa 1990.

Six O'Clock Live1989-1992London News Network - the joint venture between LWT and Carlton - was due to launch in January 1993. In preparation for these momentous events, Six O'Clock Live made its last appearance on Friday 21st August 1992. We don't have a clip from the final edition, alas, but here are two further examples of programme openers.

Six O'Clock Live1992Frank Bough and Joanna Sheldon introduce the first edition of the final series in 1992.